What’s your approach to the cap and drafts?

[RunKC]

Was thinking today about Juju and Hardman being in contract years. I think both will have good years. So the question is: do you pay either of these guys? They’ll surely want at least $24 million AAV. A deal would likely be $20 million AAV.

Where would you allocate money on the team? More in offense or defense? What draft strategy do you have?

I think this is an interesting exercise in what the board thinks is best for our window with Patrick

[Dante84]

Veach sometimes makes a move a year before it’s needed. MVS is on a 2 year deal until he’s 29. He’s fast and a downfield threat, where Hardman is fast and still needs to prove he’s a legit downfield threat.

I think we let Hardman test the market and someone will overpay for him, still leaving us with MVS another year.

This frees up money to pay a 26 year old JSS if he proves himself worthy. I think we go WR or DE again in the draft and swing big / trade up since it’s in KC.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by Dante84

Veach sometimes makes a move a year before it’s needed. MVS is on a 2 year deal until he’s 29. He’s fast and a downfield threat, where Hardman is fast and still needs to prove he’s a legit downfield threat.

I think we let Hardman test the market and someone will overpay for him, still leaving us with MVS another year.

This frees up money to pay a 26 year old JSS if he proves himself worthy. I think we go WR or DE again in the draft and swing big / trade up since it’s in KC.

Agree.

I also think it really depends on what they see on the field this year. And don't forget id Sky Moore is all he's cracked up to be, it changes things a bit. I'm not sure the Chiefs need to be hunting for a WR in the first round of any draft. Still think DE is the biggest long term need.

[ModSocks]

Not a chance in hell either of them get 24M AAV, even if they break 1K yards.

[kccrow]

Doesn't matter what I think but my position would be this:

I'll pay four key players handsomely if deserving, one each at QB, LT, DE, and CB.
I'll pay as many mid-level contracts as I can at WR (or TE as the top guys even tend to be on par), OL, and DL.
I'm drafting for any of the rest, always, washing and repeating.
Draft focus will gravitate towards the 4 pillars if missing.
I'd never take a RB in round 1. I'd hesitate in round 1 for WR unless the cupboard is bare and I have my pillars.

[RunKC]

I lean towards crow’s POV in regards to positions but mine is a bit different. QB and LT you pay regardless. If they are quality players (at minimum) you pay them bc good replacements are the toughest to find. Case and point is Andy Reid’s patience: trading for Alex was the right move for 4 years. The only legit QB available at the time was Derek Carr.

I think at that you try to build your pass rushers and DB’a and RT. Those are the next most important pieces to the roster IMO.

I’m all for paying elite players after their rookie contract, even at positions less valuable. Creed Humphrey and Nick Bolton fit this point perfectly. And really, they aren’t that expensive, especially a C.

My philosophy for us in the draft with Andy as our coach is pretty much the same as the Packers for the most part. Draft pass rushers and cover DB’s early while drafting WR’s in rd 2 at the earliest and IOL every year from rd 2-5. There’s always great value at OL in rd 3 and 4. I love Trey Smith but I don’t want to pay him huge money for such a lower positional value that can be replicated.

I think I’d use most of our 1st rd draft picks and FA money on defense bc Andy can find and make offensive talent work through scheme (for the most part).

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Not a chance in hell either of them get 24M AAV, even if they break 1K yards.

Christian Kirk just got 21M AAV and he never had a pro bowl or 1k yards season on his resume.

Some desperate team with money will pay. It always happens

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Christian Kirk just got 21M AAV and he never had a pro bowl or 1k yards season on his resume.

Some desperate team with money will pay. It always happens

Teams with average schemes and QBs tend to overspend on top WRs...they are hoping their natural talent will compensate.

Brady rarely had top WRs...he always has good defenses though which kept games close...then the refs, of course, would close the deal.

Rodgers hasn't has a 1st round WR in his career...

KC has the QB/OL...spend your 2023 draft capital on DL/CB. Really, KC is setup nicely...they can just take BPA. They have a lot picks next year. The Hill trade really happened at the perfect time. They also have the $$ to fill in gaps...and a team/HC top FAs want to play for.

Veach's incredible job of replacing the entire OL in one year made all these options available....

[Chris Meck]

QB's, DE's, CB's, and a LT all need to come from the draft if possible.

Those are the highest paid positions. It's nice to get a few cost controlled years there.

Overall, I'm not a fan of signing the big name, big dollar free agents; it seems to rarely work out.

Free agency is for plugging holes short term while you draft guys for the long term.

That's for THIS sort of team, with a perennial SB window wide open. Don't screw yourself with the cap, keep all of your options open, draft and develop.

To GET to a SB window, then rolling the dice on the big money FA's may be what you need to do, and in our case, it was.

But phase two is a more conservative, long term approach.

[DJ's left nut]

Crow is essentially naming Reid's 'shell concept' - and I don't even think it's Reid's concept, just one he favors.

I agree with it as well. QB, LT, CB1 and Rush. If I can't get it from DE but can get a dynamic interior rusher, I'm fine with that. But I'll pay for any of those 4 guys.

If I'm going to 'splurge' outside of that, it's probably going to be on a defensive player. Likely a complementary pass rusher. And then with the depth at pass-rush and creative rush concepts, RT would be my next possible 'high end' target in terms of cap/draft capital.

For a lot of other positions, while I recognize their importance, it's just not all that hard to find solid production there. Especially if you have an active, aggressive GM who's willing to churn the bottom of his roster. The Chiefs do.

So do I like having Joe Thuney on this team? Absolutely. Would I have signed him for what we signed him for? I don't think so. Credible G play just isn't all that hard to find if you have a smart organization. At LB, I think you have guys like Chenel and Gay in the draft every single year - stay a year ahead, stay ahead of their development curve and churn 'em. Safety...well it's different with Spags because he leans on them a lot, but that's largely how I'd treat safety as well.

My order of priority in terms of draft/cap:

QB --- LT --- Rush1 -- CB1 -- Rush2 -- RT -- Target1 (be it WR or TE) -- CB2 -- Target2 -- C -- IDL -- Target3 -- S1 -- IOL -- RB1 -- LB1 -- CB3 -- Target4

Then throw all the rest in a bag of fungible guys.

[DJ's left nut]

Regarding how I'd use my cap - I waffle hard on this one.

I have always REALLY valued a measured approach. I hate trading picks for guys that need contracts for that very reason; it hurts you coming and going. I think giving yourself more bites at the apple (as O.City says, more darts) is more important than bigger bites (O.City's analogy - being closer to the board).

That said, I've also seen teams in the last few years get in an absolute cap graveyard and dig themselves out of it in a single season. So I think for this team, right now, with a HoF TE who's truly uniquely in synch with a HoF quarterback, I think you push harder until Kelce's run as a legitimate force ends. When it does, you burn the roster to ashes for a year to clean up your cap hell and a new window.

[ModSocks]

My approach?

Balls out. Spend all the things all the time.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Crow is essentially naming Reid's 'shell concept' - and I don't even think it's Reid's concept, just one he favors.

I agree with it as well. QB, LT, CB1 and Rush. If I can't get it from DE but can get a dynamic interior rusher, I'm fine with that. But I'll pay for any of those 4 guys.

If I'm going to 'splurge' outside of that, it's probably going to be on a defensive player. Likely a complementary pass rusher. And then with the depth at pass-rush and creative rush concepts, RT would be my next possible 'high end' target in terms of cap/draft capital.

For a lot of other positions, while I recognize their importance, it's just not all that hard to find solid production there. Especially if you have an active, aggressive GM who's willing to churn the bottom of his roster. The Chiefs do.

So do I like having Joe Thuney on this team? Absolutely. Would I have signed him for what we signed him for? I don't think so. Credible G play just isn't all that hard to find if you have a smart organization. At LB, I think you have guys like Chenel and Gay in the draft every single year - stay a year ahead, stay ahead of their development curve and churn 'em. Safety...well it's different with Spags because he leans on them a lot, but that's largely how I'd treat safety as well.

My order of priority in terms of draft/cap:

QB --- LT --- Rush1 -- CB1 -- Rush2 -- RT -- Target1 (be it WR or TE) -- CB2 -- Target2 -- C -- IDL -- Target3 -- S1 -- IOL -- RB1 -- LB1 -- CB3 -- Target4

Then throw all the rest in a bag of fungible guys.

I lean this way too. This is what the Bills and Packers do and it’s worked wonderfully for them. Those teams have invested a lot in the OL, DE and corners the last few years while getting value at the OL. I think we’re headed that way as well.

But their flaw is weapons. You could totally maximize Allen and Rodgers with the weapons available. It’s crazy that they haven’t tried harder to surround these guys with legit force multipliers.

[Titty Meat]

Wouldn't pay either of those guys. I view them as serviceable place holders til Moore develops

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Wouldn't pay either of those guys. I view them as serviceable place holders til Moore develops

This team doesn't really have a long-term #1 weapon, IMO.

It has 2 more years where it can truly rely on Kelce in all probability. And neither JJSS or MVS are going to be #1 targets. They simply don't have the requisite skill-sets.

Nor does Moore, IMO, for reasons I've gone over ad nauseum.

The skill position is going to need a TON of attention in the coming 2-3 seasons. Or yeah, PMII is gonna have a Rodgers problem on his hands.